Known as germany's most luxurious five-star spa hotel.
Schloss Elmau in 2015Schloss Elmau in 2005
Schloss Elmau is a four-story castle and national monument with hipped roof, tower and porch, situated between Garmisch-Partenkirchen and Mittenwald in a sanctuary of the Bavarian Alps, Germany. It lies at the foot of the Wetterstein mountains in a Naturschutzgebiet (nature reserve), belonging to the Krün municipality. It was built by philosopher and theologian Johannes Müller and architect Carl Sattler between 1914 and 1916.[1]
History
Schloss Elmau Retreat
After Germany's defeat in World War II, Müller lost control of Schloss Elmau. From 1947, the premises served as a home for displaced concentration camp survivors,[2] operated by the American Jewish Joint Distribution Committee.
From 1957, Schloss Elmau became best known for chamber music, with the Amadeus Quartet, Benjamin Britten, Julian Bream, Yehudi Menuhin and Alfred Brendel performing there.[3] Also in 1957, Group 47 chose the castle for one of its semiannual invitation-only retreats.[4]
In the early hours of 7 August 2005 a fire broke out in the Schloss, caused by a faulty electric blanket belonging to the former manager, Ducci Mesirca. The fire destroyed nearly the entire top floor of the main building, without any serious casualties. The hotel has since been rebuilt by architect Christoph Sattler and the Munich-based Architects from DBLB.[citation needed]
It later became a five-star hotel featuring 123 rooms and suites, as well as a 300-seat concert hall[5] and several restaurants. The Schloss Elmau Retreat features 47 suites. The hotel is a forum for international conferences and meetings.[6] It is a member of The Leading Hotels of the World.
The hotel is located in the mountain valley between the city of Garmisch-Partenkirchen (a distance is about 15 km) and Mittenwald in Bavaria at the foot of the Wetterstein mountain range near the village of Klais. The hotel can be reached either by a private road from Klais, or on foot through the Partnach Gorge, the entrance to which is located at the Winter Olympic Stadium in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. The Eckbauer Bahn cable car followed by about 4 km on foot can be used to reach the castle. Near the castle is the four-star hotel Kranzbach, formerly Schloss Kranzbach.
^"Germany's G7 Presidency in 2022: 2022 G7 Summit at Schloss Elmau". Bundesregierung. 14 December 2021. Retrieved 19 December 2021.
External links
Wikimedia Commons has media related to Schloss Elmau.
Official website
The Ex-Helfer(in) Network – Network of former Elmau Helpers
A saudumme Gschicht - Landratsamt stoppt Luxusparty in Elmau - TV report (part of 16 April 2015 quer broadcast) about illegal construction of party venue (archive copy: video no longer viewable)
Illegale Partybühne bei G7-Hotel: Behörde prüft Bußgeld - newspaper report (in German) on the same issue
König von Elmau? Neuer Ärger um G7-Schlossherrn - TV report (in German; part of 30 April 2015 broadcast) following up on the one above, about further illegal building work by Elmau